Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: surviving a games drought

GameCentral readers discuss what they do during the months when no new video games are released, and whether they’re glad of the break.

Inspired by the currently empty release schedules, this week’s Hot Topic asked whether you loose interest in gaming when there are no new titles coming out or if it make no difference to you? Do you purposefully ensure you have a backlog of games to retreat to when there’s nothing new out or do you use the opportunity to buy some older titles you’ve missed out on?

Although many thought publishers were being foolish bunching up releases as they do most people were happy to use the quieter months to catch up on game’s they already own but hadn’t got around to playing. In fact almost no-one said they actually stopped gaming, despite the lack of stimulus from the industry.

Old favourites
What I usually do is shop around in online sales to see if there’s any games I was interested in a while back but for whatever reason never actually bought. Highlights last year were Dishonored and Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning, the year before it was Tropico 3 and 4 and Dragon Age II. It’s normally titles I didn’t think I would get my moneys’ worth if I paied full price but am happy to give a chance for £10-£20.

The other thing I also tend to do is go back and play favourite titles again because I’ve seen or played something similar which reminds me of how good the game was. Just before Christmas I finally got around to watching Book of Eli for the first time, a film I heartily recommend, and it made me nostalgic to play Fallout 3/New Vegas again. So the other week I started New Vegas again for the umpteenth time and I’m absolutely loving it. The only trouble with this is how much it makes me hanker for the next Fallout title, especially with the gaming possibilities the Xbone/PlayStation 4 hopefully offers.

I tend to get most games I want on release day, but there are always others that hold some interest for me through either reviews, videos or recommendations of others, these tend to be the ones I look for in the sales when the inevitable drought appears.NCD

Waiting is easy
I genuinely feel that if the games industry went into sudden meltdown (or some form of crash similar to the ’80s) I’d still have enough games to last me for years. Like many other readers, my backlog is spread across multiple formats (PlayStation 3, PC, and 3DS) and spans a huge number of titles from a variety of genres. Therefore when no new games are released, it simply gives me a chance to catch up on my increasing backlog – without getting distracted by newer titles!

I’ll buy games near to their release if they’re stand out titles (like Rayman Legends, GTA V, and The Last Of Us), but typically speaking I’m happy to wait several months (or longer) before snapping them up for a reduced price. With so many games in my collection, I simply can’t justify buying games on release day and I don’t feel the need to do so.

Although I’m never short of a game to play and do not personally crave new releases over the typical summer games drought, it’s still easy to see the benefits of a more even release schedule. The typical rush of releases in the run up to Christmas means I’ll never have time to play them all, even if I wanted to splash the cash on all of them in such a short space of time.

The other issue is that the more unique titles tend to get particularly overlooked during this period, thereby indicating to publishers that anything with a bit of imagination and flair is of no interest to the game-buying public. On the other hand, at least publishers seem to have largely acknowledged this and we now see less examples of obscure games being released within one week of the latest Call Of Duty.Adzz1986 (PSN ID)

A brief respite
Unless you’re a games journalist with impending deadlines, I really can’t see how anyone can possibly play all games at their original release date. Even then, I’m sure there will some that are missed. For me, during downtimes in the release schedules, I’m either trying to clear my backlog, or more likely, adding to it!ttfp saylow (gamertag)

Always something
In all due respect the game drought situation has changed a lot over the last couple of years. I mean OK, triple-As or disc releases may be staggered at this time of year, but we have a mass amount released at the same time at certain times of the year, just get the ones you could not get at the time. I mean with iOS or the PSN Network and Xbox Live with its indie releases and the amount of arcade games available, how can anyone not have anything to play?

If you are rich with no job or a lot of time available away from your job or a school kid, etc. maybe you’ll run out. But I think many of us on GC at least have been very vocal about backlogs, I know I have.

If you, for example, have run out of games, this could be a chance to try a genre of game which you have yet to try or got put off from a previous time. M aybe you’ll find something that will kick off a new type of gameplay that will change the way you look at your gaming life!

I know what I’ll be doing, Skyrim and something I have not considered before: Lego Lord Of The Rings, which I am surprisingly enjoying more than I thought I would. I did part 1 – The Fellowship of the Ring in one sitting and the fact it’s a collectathon of various stuff I might as well collect a bunch of achievements and 100% it maybe, like I said now’s the time for experimentation.

Anyhow, March, April and so on will soon be upon us, as the months usually go quick and we’ll get to see what the new current generation can really do, oh yes and Dark Souls II. The only frustrating thing right now is the accursed rain and rubbish weather we’re getting, so lighten up everyone you’ll find something.Alucard

Real world gaming
When the long January nights roll on,and Battlefield 4 has become stale! The best thing is to get some alcohol out and join my real world friends round and play dominoes.Toby brown

Revert to type
When there are no new games being released I revert to games that I have still to complete, or in some instances have yet to start. I have lots of games in my backlog for the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and 3DS that have been bought when they are on sale or because I couldn’t wait to play them. Then there is the PlayStation Plus Instant Game Collection, which is adding to my backlog for my PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Vita on a monthly basis. So I have more than enough to keep me playing through the leaner gaming months.

Games like Skyrim, Dark Souls, and Fallout: New Vegas I have put on the back burner due to their size and the large amount of time that I’d have to invest in them that I just don’t have at the moment. So an empty release schedule gives me the opportunity to catch up on these titles, when I have the time to devote to them.

I try and buy games near their release dates, but if there are several games that interest me out at the same time, then I’d probably wait a month or two to buy some of them. I just can’t afford to fork out hundreds of pounds on games each month, so waiting a month or two until some titles come down in price is the only way for me to play everything I want to.

The summer games drought can be a blessing as it gives me the opportunity to catch up on titles that I missed out on, in the run up to Christmas. Although it’s great when you get a game like The Last Of Us getting released in the summer, and you get the time to play through it without getting distracted by a multiplayer invite to the newly released FIFA, Call Of Duty, or Battlefield.Cubes (PSN ID), Cubes73 (Steam ID/Raptr ID/NN ID), Kevin M

Gap year
I am quite happy there are no new games coming out for a while because I’ve got so many games to play at the moment. I’m currently playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch, and Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix (Kingdom Hearts Final Mix at the moment and I’ve never played Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain Of Memories before so looking forward to that too).

I’ve got the entire Assassin’s Creed series of which I’ve only completed Assassin’s Creed II and III before; Batman: Arkham Asylum and City both Game Of The Year editions I plan on replaying after I finish Arkham Origins; Sleeping Dogs which I bought at launch but only played about half the story so looking forward to going back to it; I’ve got Splinter Cell: Blacklist still to play; all three Uncharteds of which I have finished 1 and 2 but not 3; and I have still to finish The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In between all of that I’ve got what I consider to be the two best racing games of the last generation: Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit and Split/Second.

That’s not to mention a load of games I’ve yet to play that I got from PlayStation Plus and a load of games I have still to purchase and play with the critically acclaimed BioShock Infinite being my top priority game purchase at the moment.

The only games I’m really looking forward to and plan on purchasing at or near launch this year are Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix and Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD. Although I do look forward to Destiny on 9 September. Could we actually have no new games at all this year to give me more time to catch up?FF13ACE (PSN ID)

Year of the role-player
Release schedules and droughts mean nothing to me. I generally only have time to play one or two games a year anyway. 2013 was the year of Skyrim and this year is Kingdom Of Amalur. The only recent game I got around launch was Mass Effect 3.ZombieEyez (gamertag – but don’t add me cos I’m hardly ever online…)

Welcome nonsense
I personally am quite thankful that the game industry persists in having these long periods where nothing of any note is released. Not because it makes any sense whatsoever, but because it gives me a chance to catch up with all the games released during the busy periods. A few years ago I used the droughts to clear out my backlog, but more recently I’ve tended to pick up some of the games I never got round to.

Last year it was Saints Row: The Third, Darksiders 2, and Lollipop Chainsaw. This year it’s Dead Space 3, BioShock, and Mass Effect, all picked up dirt cheap in the recent PSN sale. It really is amazing the kind of savings you can make by waiting. The problem of course is they tend to be the games that most need day one/full price sales the most.

It’s just as good as these games are they were released opposite (or close to, anyway) something I wanted more. I know it’s difficult with so many companies all releasing new games, I just wish the publishers of smaller games would see sense and try to avoid some of the big names. Movie studios don’t release their Oscar bait films alongside their mega budget blockbusters for a reason.

The games industry should learn from that. Even the same company learning not to compete with itself would be a novel idea! Konami are releasing their two biggest games of the year three weeks apart. Do they really think there’s no overlap between Castlevania and Metal Gear Solid fans? Surely both games will have their sales damaged by this. And this coming right after a two month period where nothing has been released.

I play games the whole year round and I suspect there are plenty of other people that do too. I’d probably be playing the same games I’m playing now if they were brand new due to a lack of competition. Publishers should capitalise on these gaps, not make them worse. I bet they’d make more money at it too, and we all know much publishers love money.andy_b720 (PSN ID)